Process and apparatus for manufacturing concrete blocks and the like



Jun 3 a. SCHUCK PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFAC TUBING CONCRETE BLOCKS AND THE LIKE Filed 061;. 17 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet J- June '3, 1924- c. SCHUCK PRQCESS AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING CONCRETE BLQCKS AND .THE LIKE Filed Oct.

) 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 I12 Mentor June 3 1924.

C. SCHUCK PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING CONCRETE BLOCKS AND THE LIKE 4 Filed Oct. 17, 1922' 5 Sheets-Sheet 3' June 3, 1924. 1,496,027

c. scHucK' PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING CONCRETE BLOCKS AND THE LIKE Filed on. 17, 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet 4.

June 3, 1924. 1,496,027

- C. SCHUCK PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING CONCRETE BLOCKS AND THE LIKE Filed Oct 17, 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 AYVORNEY,

Patented June 3, 1924.

UNETE STATES meter PATENT- oseiee CONRAD SCI-IUOK, or PITTSBURGH, rnnivsyLvenin.

Application filed October 17, 1922. SerialNo. 595,092.

To (IZZ 10/ 0m it may concern Be it known that I, CONRAD SCHUCK, a citizen of the United States, and residing in the city of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented or discovered the new, usefuhand Improved Processes and Apparatus for Mannfacturing Concrete Blocks and the like, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists in a new and im proved process for manufacturing concrete blocks and the like, and also in new and improved apparatus for performing the same.

The object which I have in view is the cheapening and the expediting of the manufacture of concrete blocks and the like and the improvement of the grade of the same.

In the. manufacture of concrete blocks and the like, as now practiced, a relatively wet or fluid concrete mixture is used, and the same is filled into the mold and jarred to compact the same. The concrete is then allowed to remain in the mold until thoroughly set, usually requiring twenty-four hours. Thus the block cannotbe removed from the mold to render the latter available for reuse until twenty-four hours have It is evident that a very considerable i-n vestment in the form of molds is necessary. For instance, 111 a plant ha'vlng an output of three thousand blocks per day, an equalnumber of molds are required for the effective capacity of each mold is but one block per day.

The quantity of water used in proportion to the cement, sand and aggregate is so great that the quality of the product is impaired; as it is well known in the art that an excess of water in the mix very seriously afiects the quality of the product.

Again, to obtain a smooth face of fine texture it is customary to insert a spade or other smooth tool against the inside face of the wall of the mold and work the tool up and down to obtain a troweling action, bringing the fines to the surface. This requires extra time and labor.

In my improved process I use only sulficient water to thoroughly hydrate the cement content of the concrete mixture, thereby insuring the very best possible product. I am enabled to use this relatively small quantity of water because of the novel method of jarring the concrete. This con' sists in jarring the floor of the mold independently of the remainder of the mold. Thus I may hold the sides and ends of the mold stationary and jar the floor ofthe mold only, or I may, if desired, jar the floor of the mold independently of a jarring action exerted on the remainder of the mold.

The weight of the materials nesting in place in the block displaces any surplus water which travels to the surfaces of the mass of concrete, and to some extent to the top. I

As the result I produce a much superior compacting of the concrete inthe mold than in the old process wherein'the bottom and remainder of the mold were jarred in unison. Furthermore the independent jarring of the floor of the mold results in a troweling action in the concrete in contact with the sides, ends and vertical faces of the mold, bringing the fines to the surface and thereby obtaining surfaces having a smooth, even texture without resorting to the use of a spade or other troweling tool.

After arring the mold in the manner de scribed for a short. time, usually about fifteen to thirty seconds, the concrete becomes compactedand sufliciently set so that it may be immedlately discharged from the mold, and

it will be found to-be self-supporting untilthoroughly cured. Thus the mold is at'once ready for reuse, and may be used over and over again for'the full days run.

For the convenient performance of my improved process I have invented a'machine characterized by, the provision of a mold having a relatively movable floor which bottom is jarred independently of the remainder of the mold. v

The car is then runfrom under the chine, the mold is again depressed and then inverted to receive a further batch of con crete, and the operation is repeated.

Other novel features of construction of parts and operation will appear from the following description.

In the accompanying drawings, which are merely intended to illustrate a convenient method of performing my process and a practical embodiment of the principles of my new and improved machine, Fig. 1 is a side View of the machine, the mold being shown in its upright position, and the pallet being shown in dotted lines locked in place on top of the mold, ready for the reversal of the mold box; Fig. 2 is an end view of the same looking from the left in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the multiple mold box with the supports at the right hand end omitted, and those at the left hand end sectioned along the line III-{II in Fig. 2; Fig. 1 is a broken section along the line IVIV in Fig. 3, showing the method of mounting the cores which form the recesses or hollows in the concrete block; Fig. 5 is a plan view of one of the mold floors; Fig. 6 is a side view of the same showing one of its supporting frames; Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing one of the cores used to form the recesses or hollows in the concrete blocks; Fig. 8 is a longitudinal section and Fig. 9 is atop plan View of a concrete block formed in my machine; Fig. 10 is a detail of the pallet lock; Fig. 11 is an end View of the mold box; Fig. 12 is a broken inverted plan view of the same; Fig. 13 is a detail showing the double acting locking lever which is used to automatically throw the power clutch to neutral at the proper moments in raising and lowering the mold box; Fig. 1 1 is a detail of one of the screw nuts and its housing; Fig. 15 is an enlarged detail in plan showing the gear shift mechanism on the driving shaft; Figs. 16, 17 and 18 are diagrammatic views showing the deposit of the pallet on the car; Fig. 19 is a broken plan view showing the use of reinforcement in making a slab or block, and Fig. 20 is a broken elevation of the reinforcement shown used in Fig. 19.

The following is a detailed description of the drawings.

The machine is supported at the ends by two pairs of spaced apart and'vertically disposed standards A which are connected together at their tops by the cross members 1, and at their bottoms by suitable cross beams 2. The standards are suitably braced in a rigid manner, not shown. The outer edges of the standards A. are provided with segmental blocks 3, which, with the standards, form the supports for the arouate tracks 4 mounted on the inner side of the standards and the blocks, one at each end of the machine, which tracks described partitions 9, which may be attached in place by any convenient means, such as screws or bolts, but preferably in such a manner as to be. assembled so that the mold cavities may be of the proper dimensions and shape to suit the individual requirements of the job at hand. Thus, by removing the partitions, the box may be adapted for forming a slab of the full size of the box, or byusing longitudinal partitions only lintels or door and window sills may be formed. Attached to the outer face of each end board 5 is a framing composed of two vertically disposed and spaced apart struts 10 and horizontally disposed struts 11 and'upon the ends of said struts is supported the rigid metallic annulus 12. 13 are corner blocks which .aid in supporting the annulus. Said annulus is interrupted at the bottom for the space between the lower ends of the struts 10. Between the upper ends of the struts 10 the annulus is preferably further braced and supported by a curved block 14. At the top saidannulus is provided with a forwardly extending lip 15 which is curved to engage and ride on the arcuate track 4 above described. The box B rests upon a horizontally disposed shaft 16, having its ends supported in journal boxes 17 on the upper end of the blocks 18, one of which is slidably mounted between each pair of standards A. Channel guides 19, attached to the edges of the blocks 18, hold the blocks in proper alinement between the standards. The mold box is held against accidental turning on the shaft 16 by means of angular locking levers 20 at each end and whose lower ends engage the notches 21 in the lip 15.

The lower ends of the levers 20 are reduced to enter said notches, leaving lateral shoulders which bear against the lip 15 and prevent vertical movement or vibration of the mold box during the jarring operation.

Said locking levers are pivoted inter mediate of their ends by means of rock shafts which pass through transverse holes in said levers and have their ends journaled in bearings 23 on the standards A- The upper ends of said levers 20 engage cam blocks 53 1 fixed on the rock shaft 25. 26 represents helical springs coiled about said shaft 25 and having one end bearing against collars 27 fixed on said shaft, and their other ends bearing against the upper ends of the levers 20, thus holding the levers 20 against the cam blocks and also in engagement with the notches 21 and the blocks 14. The shaft 25 is provided at one end with acrank handle 28 so that it may be. turned to rotate the cam blocks 24 and thus release the locking levers 20 from the notches 21, thereby unlocking the mold box B so that it may be inverted with the shaft 16 as an axis. The sliding blocks 18 are provided on their outer faces with box housings 29 in which are held against rotation the screw nuts 30 having their axes vertically disposed. As shown in Fig. 14, the nuts are capable of a slight vertical movement in their housings for a purpose to be described. 31 represents vertically disposed screw shafts screwed through said nuts 30 and having their lower ends journaled in the pillow bearings 32 on the cross beams 2.

33'represents a beveled pinion mounted on each of said screw shafts. 34 represents a shaft extending longitudinally of the machine and having its intermediate portions inserted in a cylindrical shaft 35, the axial shaft 34 being provided with radial pins 36 extending through the longitudinal slots 37 in the shaft 35, whereby the central shaft 34 is caused to rotate with the cylindrical shaft 35 but is also longitudinally movable in relation thereto. The shaft 35 is suitably journaled as in bearings 38, and is power driven as by the sprocket wheel 39 connected by a chain with the motor C.

40 and 41 represent bevel pinions rigidly mounted on the shaft 34, a pair of said pinions being provided for each end of the shaft, said pinions being disposed on either side of thepinion 33, so that by sliding the shaft in one direction, the'pinions 40 will mesh with the pinions 33, thereby driving the screw shafts 31 in one direction, for instance to raise the blocks 18; while a movement of the shaft 34 in the other direction will mesh the pinions 41 with the pinions 33, thus rotating the shafts 31 in the opposite direction, to lower the blocks 18. When the shaft 34 is in its intermediate or neutral position,.the pinions 40 and 41 are all out.

of mesh with pinions 33, and thus blocks'18 are stationary. p f I I provide the following means for shifting the shaft 34, so as to cause the blocks 18. and with them the mold box B to be raised or lowered as may be desired.

42 represents two spaced apart beams extendingwhorizontally from the base of the standards A at one end of the machine frame, one of said beams being on either side of the protruding end of the shaft 34. Said beamsare connected together by an inner cross strut 43, and an outer cross strut 44.

45 is a collar fixed on the outer end of the shaft 34, and 46 is a similar collar fixed on said shaft at an equal distance on the other side of the strut 44. 47 represents a pair of helical springs. coiled about. said shaft on either side of said strut, and bearing against said collars and said strut, thereby normally maintaining the shaft 34 in its neutral position, as shown in Figs. ,1 and 15, and automatically returning said shaft to neutral when released after a gear engagement. p

48 is a circular clutch member loosely mounted on the shaft 34, and provided with a central circumferential groove which is engaged by the edge of the circular opening in the strut 43 to prevent movement of the member 48 along the shaft. The strut may be split longitudinally, with one-half of the opening formed in each part for easy assembly. Theperimeter of themember 48, at each side of its centralgroove is pro vided with a pair of tapered cam vanes 49, arranged in tandem, the vanes on one side being opposed to those on the other.

50 and 51 represent a pair of cylindrical members loosely .mounted on the shaft 34 on either side of the member 48, and each provided with a pair of diametricallyopposed radial pins 52, which are preferably provided with anti-friction rollers, and which pins extend into longitudinally disposed slots 52 in the beams 42, so that the members 50 and 51 will slide on the shaft 34 but are held against rotation. It is evident that when the member 48 is turned in the proper direction, its vanes 49 on one side will push 'themember 50 to the left in Figs. 1 and 15, forcing said member against the collar 46 on the shaft 34, and thus causing said shaft to move towards the left and meshing the pinions 41 with the pinions 33, and thereby causing the screw shafts 31 to turn in the screw nuts 30, say raising the blocks 18. When the-pressure of the vanes against the pin is released, the spring will automatically movethe shaft 34 back to neutral. If however themember 48 is turned in the opposite direction the member51 will be forced against the side of the bevel gear 40 movingth e shaft 34 to the right and thus meshing the pinions 40 with the pinions 33 and thereby causing the blocks 18 to travel in the other direction, say downwardly; I

The member 48 is manually turned to produce the shifting of the gear engagement, in the following manner. i

53 is a curved segmental control bar, having attached to'itsends' the dependingand converging legs 54, whose lower ends are bifurcated to straddle the member 48 at o posite sides of its vertical diameter. e ends of said legs 54 are attached'to the opposite sides ofthe member 48 as by means of the wrist pins 55. It is evident that by rocking the bar 53 the member 48 may be turned to obtain the desired gear engagement. When the segment is in its central or neutral position the member 48 is in its neutral position, as also is the shaft 34.

The bar 53 is preferably provided at its ends with hand grips 56 for its convenient operation.

Near each end, said bar 53 is provided with a notch 57 which, when the bar is swung to one side, or the other, to effect one of the gear engagements, is engaged by the outer end of a locking lever 58 which is pivotally mounted intermediate of its ends to the central portion of a bracket 59 whose bent ends are attached to the standards A and which straddle the block 18. The outer end of said locking lever is overweighted so as to automatically engage the notches in the bar and lock the latter stationary.

60 is a collar attached to the face of the block 18, near its upper end, and loosely encircling the screw shaft 31. Said collar is provided with a projection 61, which, as the block 18 reaches its lowermost position engages and depresses the inner end of the locking lever 58, thus releasing the segmental bar and permitting it to swing toneutral.

The nut housing 29 is provided with an outwardly extending hooked finger 62, which, when the block 18 reaches its uppermost position, engages and pushes upwardly the outer end of the locking lever, thereby permitting the bar to swing to neutral. I prefer to provide opposed helical springs 63 attached to the legs of the bar 53 and to the standards A, which automatically swing the bar to its central or neutral position when it is released.

D represents the core members or blocks, which are mounted in the mold box B, to form the cavities or recesses 64 in the cement blocks E; see Figs. 8 and 9. Said cores may be made of wood or metal and are supported from below by means of the longitudinal joist or bars 65 which are attached at their ends to the end boards 5, and which engage from below the shoulders 66 on the lower ends of the cores. The cores are bolted or otherwise removably secured to the bars. The end recesses 67 of the concrete blocks are formed by the half or partial cores D which are mounted in place against the end boards 5 and the cross partitions 8.

It is evident that by changing the character of the cores any desired kind of cavities or hollows, and any number of the same maybe produced.

I prefer to bevel the top edges of the cores as shown, so that the upper ends of the cavities 64 in the cement blocks will be con tracted to form overhanging flanges 68 as shown in Figs. 8 and 9. This enables the block to be easily handled by inserting the fingers into said hollows under the overhanging flanges. It also increases the top surfaces of the blocks, thus providing a broader area for the spread of mortar, which is a decided advantage.

The cores are upperwardly recessed as at 69, to provide clearance for the shaft 16 in the central row of cores.

F represents the removable mold floors of the mold cavities. If solidconcrete blocks, without cavities, are to be formed, these mold floors are continuous boards .or plates,

but where cores are used said mold floorsare in the form of grids which fit down around the cores, as indicated, closing the bottom of the mold cavities.

The floors F are provided with depending lateral edge flanges 70 to which are bolted the upper ends of the legs 71 of the vertically disposed supporting frames G, two of said frames being provided for each mold bottom.

The lower ends of said frames G are bolted to the longitudinal beams 72 whose ends are attached to the horizontal cross beams 73. y

Thus it is evident that the mold floors, one for each mold cavity, are supported individually from below on a unitary support formed by the longitudinal beams 72 and the cross beams 7 3, but the mounting of said bottoms is such that clearance is provided, so that, when the mold box is inverted and assumes a position below the mold bottoms, it may then be elevated withvthe mold bottoms passing down through the mold cavities around the core blocks.

74 represents the upper cross heads; 75 the lower cross heads, and 76 the pairs of vertically disposed side bars of the two. frames H, one of which frames slides vertically against the outer face of each end board 5 between the vertical struts 10, said frames H being kept in alinement by the metal straps 77 attached to the struts and overlapping'the space between the same.

Said frames H are rigidly attached to the adjacent cross beams 73, as by means of the interposed blocks 78 which space the frames from the cross beams. 79 is a central depending portion of the lower cross head 75 of the frame H, and 80 is a similar depending portion of the adjacent cross beam 73, and between the pairs of said depending portions, at either end of the machine, is journaled a roller I which is adapted to ride on a jarring wheel J, one of which wheels is rigidly mounted on the cylindrical shaft 35 adjacent to each end of the latter.

The perimeters of said jarring wheels J are formed of a plurality of inclined planes ending in radially disposed shoulders or drops opposed to the direction of rotation, so that when the rollers Iride on the jarring Wheels, the mold floors are lifted and dropped, thus jarring the same vertically.

The shaft 16 is provided at either end with a rigidly mounted eccentric or cam collar 81 which engages from below a recess 82 in the upper cross heads 74 and thus determines the lowermost position of the frames H, and consequently also of the mold bottoms F. The end of the shaft 16 is provided with a crank handle 83 for turning said shaft, thus adjusting the positions of the cam collars 81, and thereby regulating the lowermost position of the mold bottoms. It is evident that the degree of rise and fall of the floors in jarring may thus be regulated, or the frames H may be so elevated that the rollers I will entirely clear the jarring wheels J.

The lower cross heads 75 of the frames H are provided with outwardly extending arcuate metal lips 84, similar to the lips 15, and which are adapted to ride on the arcuate tracks 1 when the mold box and floors are turned over. Said lips are notched like the lips 15 to enable the locking levers 20 to engage and lock the parts against rotation when they have been inverted; The lips 84. are braced by the struts 85. The lateral shoulders on the lower ends of the locking levers 20 also bear on the lips 84; and hold the frames H against vertical movement upwardly.

L represents the pallet or table board which is placed on the mold box after the jarring operation and locked in place so as to support the contents of the mold cavities when the mold box is inverted. The pallet also forms the support for the concreteblocks on the car.

Said pallet is of proper width to be supported on the edges of the side boards 7 of the mold box and to extend snugly up against the inner surfaces of the end boards 5.

Any convenient means for locking the pallet on the mold boxes may be provided.

Thus I have shown the lateral edges of the pallet provided with pins 86 which are engaged by the hooked upper ends 87 of the locking bars 88 which are pivoted intermediate of their ends to the outer faces of the side boards 7 and having their lower ends connected by the hand lever 89. The hooked ends 87 are beveled on the top to automatically engage with the pins 86 when the pallet is pushed down into position, the movement of the locking bars being limited by the stop pins 90 against which they are resiliently held by the springs 91. Looking mechanism is provided at each side of the mold When the mold box is inverted and the allet is resting upside down on the car M, the locking bars are released by means of the hand-levers 89, so that the concrete blocks may rest on the pallet, as a table,

' transverse while the mold box is elevated to strip the latter from the concrete blocks.

In working my process, the operation of my machine is substantially as'follows.

The apparatus is as shown in Fig. 1 but with the pallet L removed. The cam collars 81 are turned up to clear the rollers I of the constantly rotating jarring wheels. The concrete mixture is then filled down into the mold box B, either by wheelbarrows from an elevated platform, not shown, or as is preferable, directly from a mixer machine having its discharge orifice properly positioned above the mold box. The upwardly extending portions 6 of the end boards 5 prevent the material spilling down at the ends of the box into the mechanism.

The excess concrete is then scraped off to a level sufliciently above the top of the mold box to compensate for settling by the jarring operation, so that after arring the concrete will be substantially flush with the top of the mold.

The jarring is now started by turning the shaft 16 and its cam collars 81 to bring the rollers I into jarring contact with the jarring wheels J, the degree of jar or drop being determined by the. position of the cam collars 81.

The jarring action ofthe floors F is co tinued for the desired length of time. I have found fifteen seconds amply suficient in practice.

The pallet L is then put on and locked in lace.

When the concrete has been properly jarred, the shaft 25 is turned to release the locking levers 20 from the notches 21 in the lips 15. The mold box and the bottoms are then turned over counterclockwise 180 degrees, with the shaft 16 as an axis, the lips 15 and 84 riding on the arcuate tracks 4 to guide the rotating parts.

When the parts have been rotated 180 degrees, the locking bars 20 engage the notches in the lips 84 of the frames H and lock the parts against further movement and also prevent vertical movement of the floors. I prefer to prevent rotation beyond 180 degrees by providing the annular rim 12 with a projection 92 which engages the stop 93 on the frame of the machine, and halts the rotary movement at the proper point when the mold box is inverted.

The mold box B is now below and the floor frames G above, and the concrete blocks are supported byv the pallet. As the box is approaching its completely inverted position, the front edge of the pallet engages a lip 94: on the front top surface of the car M, which pushes the car forwardly under the machine and spots'it in proper position. This enga ement also serves to lift the pallet and 1110-1 box slight- 1y, such movement being allowed for by the provision of a slight vertical movement between the screw nuts 30 and their housings 29, and a slight clearance between the shoulders on'the lower ends of the levers 20 and the lips 84, thus permitting the blocks 18 which carry the mold box, to be raised sufi'iciently to deposit the pallet and the mold box flat on the car, which assumes and sup ports their weight This depositing process is illustrated in Figs. 16, 17 and 18.

I next unlock the pallet from the mold box, and throw the segn'iental control bar 53 into proper position to elevate the mold box. The mold box is now started upwardly, leaving the pallet on the car with the concrete blocks resting on the pallet. The mold floors F do not move, as the locking bars 20, bearing down on the lips S l, hold the frames H down in place. Therefore the stationary moldfloors act to hold down the concrete blocks, as the mold box is upwardly stripped therefrom.

To prevent the mold floors catching on the tops of the concrete blocks as the car is run out from under the machine to the curing yard, I provide means whereby as the mold box reaches its uppermost position, the mold floors are lifted a slight distance to clear them from the concrete blocks.

This is accomplished as follows. The blocks 18 are provided with apair of. upwardly extending tapered bars 95 which move behind a pair of rollers 96 on the ends of the cross shafts 97 mounted on the lower portions of the levers 20, so that as the mold box reaches its uppermostposition, the looking levers 20 are disengaged from the lips 84 on the frames H. The cross heads of the frame H are now engaged by the upwardly moving shaft 16, thus raising the mold floors. The cross bars 75 are centrally notched as at 99 to be better engaged by the shaft 16.

To prevent the mold box accidentally turning over as it approaches its uppermost position after the locking levers 20 are disengaged from the lips I provide on the inner faces of the standards A the vertically disposed guide strips or rails 98 which are engaged from without by the upper ends of the struts 10, thereby maintaining the mold box against lateral movement.

l i hen the mold box has reached its uppermost position, the finger 62 on the housing 29 throws out the locking lever 61 allowing the bar 53 to swing to'neutral, and thus halting the rotation of the screw shaft 31.

The .car with its load of concrete blocks is now run from under the machine to the curing shed where the pallet with its burden of blocks is lifted ofi and placed in storage for curing.

The control bar 53 is now swung into position to cause the screw shafts 31 to rotate in. the proper direction to lower the mold" box until it reassumes its former relation to the mold floors, the power being automati cally relieved from the screw shafts 31 at the proper time by the engagement of the projection 61 of the collar 60 with the locking lever 53.

The shaft 25 is now turned to disengage the locking levers 20, which were automatically engaged with the lips 84 when the mold floors again dropped, and the parts are turned clockwise into their original positions, the locking the notches 21 in the lips 15.

The machine is now ready for refilling, a fresh pallet being provided, the pallet previously used is now supporting the concrete blocks in the curing shed.

The advantages attending the use of my improved process of manufacturing concrete blocks and the like are manifold. ."lmong them may be mentioned the following.

A much better grade of concrete is produced since the material. is more completely compacted and worked than in the present practice. Moreover the use of a minimum amount of water in the mix produces a better concrete of uniform strength. Thus, in the case of the usual concrete block when broken, the plane of fracture shows that the rupture is in the concrete and not through the pebbles orother aggregate used. This shows that the bond is of less strength than the aggregate. In the case of concrete blocks made by my method the plane of fracture runs through the aggregate particles showing that the bond is stronger than the aggregate itself.

Moreover the method of jarring produces an improved tro-welling action which brings the lines to the surfaces, thus producing a close, smooth surface texture without the use of a trowelling tool. This jarring action further acts to automatically drive any excess water from the mass of concrete to the surfaces, such water dripping down from the mold. Thus, an excess of moisture in the mix is automatically eliminated and does not impair the quality of the block.

Another very important feature is the expcditingof the manufacture. The concrete may be jarred, the molds inverted to discharge the blocks and the molds turned upwardly again during the mixing of the next batch in a concrete mixer. Thus a single mold box, providing one or a plurality of mold cavities, can keep a mixer employed to supply it material. In the present practice wherein the concrete block must remain in the box or mold. in which it was cast for at least twenty-four hours, the number of molds required equals the number of blocks in the days output. The very remarkable economy in equipment is very evident. The increased rapidity of manufaclevers 20 again engaging ture is apparent and the output or" a plant may be multiplied many times by the adoption of my improved system.

My invention is equally applicable to the manufacture of sewer tile or similar cylindrical or hollow articles, the interior wall of the mold defining the exterior of the article while the core block defines the interior of the same.

In Fig. 19 I show the use of reinforce.

ment to produce a reinforced slab or other shape. Thus I support in the mold box B the reinforcement 100 which may be, for instance, a length of expanded or herringbone metal. Istand the same on edge in the mold and support it in a vertical position by any convenient means. Thus I may support it from the side walls as by the fins 101 bent at right angles to the general plane of the reinforcement and engaging the side walls on both sides. I

Although, for the purpose of clearly setting forth the principles of my invention, I

- have described in detail the embodiment of the same illustrated in the drawings, I do notwish to limit myself thereby, but claim broadly 1. The process of forming concrete blocks and the like which consists in filling the concrete mixture into a mold, and jarring the floor of the mold independently of the remainder of the latter.

2. The process of forming concrete blocks and the like which consists in mixing the materials with sufficient water to hydrate the cement, then filling the mixture into a mold, and then jarring the mold in such a manner that the mass of concrete is caused to move in planes parallel with the vertical walls of the mold and relative thereto.

3. In a machine for forming concrete blocks and the like, the combination of a mold into which the .concrete mixture is filled, a relatively movable floor for said means for jarring the contents of the. mold,

and means for inverting the moldon said support to discharge the concrete blocks.

6. In a machine for forming concrete blocks andthe like, the combination of a support, a mold mounted on said support, means for jarring the contents of the mold, means forinvertin-g the mold to depositthe concrete blocks, and means for elevating the 8. In a machine for forming concrete blocks and the like, the combination of a support, a mold rotatably mounted on. said support to swing on a horizontal axis, and means for jarring the bottom of the mold independently of the remainder of the latter,

the mold being inverted after the jarring operation to discharge the concrete block.

9. In a machine for forming concrete blocks and the like, the combination of a sup port, a mold pivotally mounted on said support to swing on, a horizontal axis, an inde-" pendently movable floor for said mold, and means for jarring said floor, said mold being inverted after the jarring operationto discharge the concrete block.

10. In a machine for forming concrete blocks and the like, the combination of a support, a mold pivotally mounted on said support to swing on a horizontal axis, means for jarring the contents of the mold, said mold being then inverted to deposit its contents, and'means for raising and lowering the mold while inverted.

11. In a machine for forming concrete blocks and the like, the combination of a support, a'mold rotatably mounted on said sup-port to swing on a horizontal axis, said mold being held upright to receive the con crete mixture and being inverted to deposit the same, means for jarring the contents of said mold when upright, and means for elevating said mold when inverted to strip the mold from the concrete block.

12. In a machine for forming concrete blocks and the like,:the combination of a support, a mold mounted on said support, a floor for said mold adapted to be inverted in unison therewith, means for elevating'the inverted mold to strip it from the concrete block, and'means for holding the floor stationary to hold said block from vertical movement.

13. In a machine for forming concrete blocks and the like, the combination of a support, a mold mounted on said support, a floor for said mold adapted to be invertedv in unison therewith, means for elevating the inverted mold to strip it from the concrete block, means for holding the floor stationary during the elevation of themold, and means for raising the floor as the mold completes its ascent toclear the. concrete block.

14. In a machine for forming concrete blocks and the like, tlie combination of a support, a mold mounted on said sup-port, means for inverting the mold to deposit its contents, means for elevating the mold to strip the same from the concrete block, and means for holding said mold from turning while being elevated.

15. In a machine for forming concrete blocks and the like, the combination of a support, a mold mounted on said support and rotatable on a horizontal axis, a floor for said mold, means for jarring the contents of said mold, said mold being inverted to deposit the concrete block, means for elevating said mold to strip it from the block, and means for holding said floor stationary during said elevation to force the block from the mold.

16. In a machine for forming concrete blocks and the like, the combination of a support, a mold mounted on said support and rotatable on a horizontal axis, a floor for said mold, means for jarring the contents of said mold, said mold being inverted to deposit the concrete block, means for elevating said mold to strip it from the block, means for holding said floor stationary dur ing said elevation to; force the block from the mold, and means for raising the floor to clear the block when the latter has been stripped from the mold.

17. In a machine for forming concrete blocks and the like, the combination of a mold having an open bottom, core blocks extending upwardly into said mold, a floor for said mold surrounding said core blocks, means for jarring the contents of said mold, and means for telescoping the mold and the core blocks over said floor to strip the concrete blocks from said mold.

18. In a machine for forming concrete blocks and the like, the combination of a mold having an open bottom, core blocks extending upwardly into said mold, a floor for said mold surrounding said floor blocks, and means for jarring said floor independently of the mold.

19. In a machine for forming concrete blocks and the like, the combination of a mold having an open bottom, core blocks extending upwardly into said mold, a floor for said mold surrounding said core blocks and independently movable relative to said mold, and means for jarring said floor.

20. In a machine for forming concrete blocks and the like, the combination of a mold having an open bottom, core blocks extending upwardly into said mold, a floor for said mold surrounding said core blocks and independently movable relative to said mold, means for jarring said floor, and means for telescoping said mold and said core blocks relative to said floor to strip the concrete block from said mold.

21. In a machine for forming concrete blocks and the like, the combination of a support, a mold mounted on said support, core blocks'extending up into said mold, a

floor for said mold surrounding said core blocks, means for jarring the contents of said mold, means for inverting the mold, core blocks and floor in unison for discharging the concrete blocks, and means for elevating the inverted mold and core blocks relative to said floor to strip them from the concrete block.

22. In a machine for forming concrete blocks and the like, the combination of a support, a mold mounted on said support, core blocks extending up into said mold, a floor for said mold surrounding said core blocks, means for jarring the contents of said mold, means for inverting the mold, core blocks and floor in unison for discharging the concrete blocks, means for elevating the inverted mold and core blocks relative to said floor to strip them from the concrete block, and means for raising said floor, after the elevation of the mold and core blocks, to clear the concrete block.

23. In a mechanism for forming concrete blocks and the like,,the combination ot-a support, a mold pivotally mounted on a horizontal axis in said support, a pallet adapted to be detachably mounted on said mold when the latter is filled to close the top thereof, said pallet supporting the product when the mold is inverted, and means whereby said mold is capable of vertical movement whereby the pallet with its burden may be deposited on a car or other receiver.

24. In a mechanism for forming concrete blocks and the like, the combination of a support, a mold pivotally mounted on a horizontal axis in said support, a pallet adapted to be detachably mounted on said mold when the latter is filled to close the top thereof, said pallet supporting the product when the mold is inverted, and means whereby the mold may be elevated as it is inverted whereby the mold may be disposed flat on a car or other receiver with the pallet resting upon the car and supporting the product.

25. In a mechanism torforming concrete blocks and the like, the combination of a support, a mold pivotally mounted on a horizontal axis in said support, a pallet adapted to be detachably mounted on said mold when the latter is filled to close the top thereof, said pallet supporting the product when the mold is inverted, and means whereby as the mold is inverted and the edge of the pallet engages a car intended to receive the product, the rotary axis of the mold will be elevated to deposit'the pallet flat on the car. a

26. In a mechanism for forming concrete blocks and the like, the combination of a support, a mold pivotally mounted on a horizontal axis in said support, a pallet adapted tobe detachably mounted on said ble of vertical movement, in addition to its rotary movement, to permit the pallet, with the product resting thereon, to be deposited 10 flat on the car.

Signed at Pittsburgh, Pa., October, 1922.

CONRAD SOHUCK. 

